The boundary between fans and idols is becoming a concern following increasingly aggressive approaches from a part of fans, especially with younger idols.
In addition to the performance or musical aspect, theInteract with your fans and let your fans interact with you too is indispensable for a Kpop idol. Among them, the Connecting with fandom through social networks, concerts or fansigns has become an indispensable “spice” in Kpop today. However, many times artists have fallen into situations of being touched or over-approached by passionate fans.
Most recently, Jongseob – the 17-year-old youngest member of boy group P1Harmony had a bad memory during his world tour in the US. During the show in Washington DC, the members stepped off the stage and mingled with the crowd to interact with fans. However, a female fan suddenly approached Jongseob and put her arm around the male idol. Not stopping there, this person was not afraid to put his hand on his head in the surprise of the other members. After that, she seemed to intend to reach out to the Intak member but was promptly stopped by security staff before approaching.
The video recording this moment quickly attracted the attention of the public. Many opinions agree that these actions are crossing the line between public figures and fans. Notably, this problem has actually existed for a long time in Kpop and becomes more serious when the average age of idols is getting smaller and smaller.
According to many mental health experts, if artists’ personal boundaries are not respected, it can lead to unhealthy and inhuman effects, especially on young idols. Explaining this, fans are said to often feel close and close to their idols due to their affection and have learned a lot regarding the artist. But on the other hand, sometimes they forget the essence that with idols, fans are still strangers and need to respect their privacy like anyone else.